ABSTRACT
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In recent years, an increased awareness of the harmful effects of environ-
mental pollutants-including agricultural fertilizer by-products, pesticides,
herbicides and fungicides-has promoted research into alternative means of
facilitating plant growth. The ideal replacement for these chemicals should not
only enhance plant growth, but, unlike fertilizers, also inhibit those organisms
that impede plant growth. Chapter 19 already discussed the development and
use of biopesticides (biocontrol agents or BCA) in agriculture. In addition to
these biocontrol agents, the use of organisms known as plant growth-
promoting bacteria may be highly advantageous to plants. In Chapter 8, we
examined the intricacies of the rhizosphere environment as a habitat for
bacteria, including plant growth promoters and BCA. Next to binding to roots
(rhizosphere bacteria), bacteria also localize on leaves (phyllosphere bacteria)
and thrive on the nutrients released by roots and/or leaves [1,2]. In both
settings, but primarily at the roots, the plant-associated bacteria can stimulate
plant growth as a result of their plant-driven activities [3].
